Feb 12, 2023

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Look, I get it.

If you're a Giants fan, you think Super Bowl XLII was the greatest ever. If you're a Niners fan, Super Bowl XXIII. If you love the Broncos, it's XXXII. If you're a Patriots fan, it's Super Bowl XXXVI. Or XXXVIII. Or XXXIX. Or XLIX. Or LI. Or LIII. It could go on for a fan of any winner, with a legitimate argument.

But sorry. This one, Super Bowl LVII -- Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 -- is the greatest ever.

It was a masterpiece by Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, something special that goes beyond the fact that they combined for 600 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns. Each time their teams needed them to answer, they did. It started as soon as the game did. Hurts took the Eagles down the field on the opening drive for a touchdown. Mahomes answered with a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. Hurts answered that answer with a deep corner route to A.J. Brown. Even when Hurts fumbled, leading to a Chiefs touchdown, he made up for it, leading the Eagles to 10 unanswered points to end the first half.

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And then, it was on. The Chiefs' second-half offensive possessions went like this: touchdown in 10 plays, touchdown in nine plays, touchdown in three plays, field goal in 12 plays. And it almost wasn't enough. We haven't seen a quarterback as good on third and fourth down in a Super Bowl as Hurts since ... Tom Brady against the Falcons, maybe? The Eagles were 11-of-18 on third down, so many of those conversions either Hurts squeezing through his snowplow of an offensive line or hitting passes that were a fingernail away from getting knocked down or intercepted. Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni was fearless, his offense converting two of two fourth-down attempts.

Some will say Hurts was robbed of a chance for a winning drive by a suspect holding call on the Eagles. But, as commissioner Roger Goodell said on the stand before handing over the Chiefs' second Super Bowl trophy this decade, the game was "reflective of the entire 2022 season." Of course it was. The NFL season ended the only way it could: with fans complaining about a flag. And for as much of a letdown as the final 90 seconds felt, dripping down for the inevitable field goal, there was still a beauty in the fact that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid -- ripped for so many years for faulty clock management -- pulled off the ultimate clock management to win the Super Bowl at age 64.

But: Mahomes. When he won his first Super Bowl, he had arguably clinched a spot in the Hall of Fame. He had Dan Marino's start to a career, with an incredible volume of touchdown passes, only with a ring. This was different, grittier, less automatic. Along with his entire team, he didn't play well in the loss to the Bucs two years ago. In his own words, he "choked" against the Bengals in last year's conference championship game. For all his greatness, it wasn't inconceivable that he'd come up just short in the Super Bowl. And even though the Eagles somewhat throttled him in the first half, Mahomes, his offensive line and Reid's playcalling completely dominated what had been the NFL's best defense during the regular season.

Records set in Super Bowl LVII

Longest punt return: 65, Kadarius Toney

Most fumbles recovered, career: 3, Patrick Mahomes

Fewest kickoff return yards, both teams: 11, Kansas City (0) vs. Philadelphia (11)

Youngest combined age, starting QBs: 51 years, 337 days, Patrick Mahomes/Jalen Hurts

Most rushing yards by QB, game: 70, Jalen Hurts

The Eagles entered the game with 70 regular-season sacks. They got none on Super Sunday. Mahomes, on an ankle that caused him to limp during the game, did the hardest thing for a quarterback to do: He created momentum in the most critical moments. If he was pressured, he eluded the rush. If he threw, he picked the right guy. On the defining drive of his career, he was perfect: 3-for-3, with a scramble on one leg for the second straight game that all but ended it. Few things are better in sports than watching a great player become immortal right before your eyes. We did.

Less than two weeks after Brady retired, Mahomes made clear that if anyone will ever dethrone Brady as the greatest ever, it'll be him. Nobody else is close. Reid solidified what was likely a career destined for Canton as the second-greatest coach of his era; he has won two Super Bowls since Bill Belichick last won a playoff game. And both Reid and Mahomes, with help from the Eagles, produced the greatest Super Bowl ever.